Learn how to build and sell AI services online with this step-by-step guide, from choosing your service to getting paid on Whop
Key takeaways
- AI service businesses offer the lowest-barrier path to online income since AI now handles lead generation, outreach, and fulfillment.
- Beginners can sell five in-demand AI services today: implementation, website building, app development, paid ads, and video creation.
- Clear positioning via a specific transformation statement—who you help, what result, through what method—determines whether clients buy.
Demand for AI freelancers doubled last year. Businesses know they need AI, they just don't know how to use it. That gap is now one of the biggest money-making opportunities on the internet
Here's how you can create AI services and sell them on Whop (even as a complete beginner).
Why service businesses are the best starting point
Before we get to the how, let's start with the why.
As Brett Malinowski explains in the video above, service businesses have always been the best way to start earning an income online, and the reason is simple: you don't need money, a product, or an audience to get started.
What you do need is to find somebody with a problem and offer to solve it in exchange for money. That's it.
Practically speaking, selling a service online comes down to three things:
- Finding leads
- Booking calls
- Fulfilling the service
In the past, each of those steps was time-consuming. You had to hunt for leads manually and handle every touchpoint yourself.
AI has changed all of that.
AI can find leads for you, write and personalize outreach messages, and in many cases, deliver the work itself: which means even if you've never sold a service before, you can start getting clients today.
The biggest thing holding most people back isn't a lack of information or skill. It's the belief that they need to have everything figured out before they start. As Brett says:
"Most people get stuck here and they think 'I need to learn everything first, I need to be perfect before I start'. That is backwards: you learn by getting clients and doing the work as you go".
Five AI services you can sell right now
Not sure what to offer? Here are five of the most in-demand services right now, all buildable with AI.
AI implementation services
Most businesses know AI matters but have no idea how to actually use it: that's your opening.
At a basic level, this means installing tools and training teams on how to use AI tools. At a more advanced level, this means redesigning workflows, automating operations, and building internal tools.
The best clients are independently owned local businesses like law firms, med spas, marketing agencies, and financial advisors, because they have money and are easier to work with than large corporates.
Website building
Every business needs a website, but somehow, even in 2026, many either don't have one or have one that's badly outdated.
With AI tools like Claude Code, you can build a professional site in minutes. So rather than cold-pitching and waiting to land a gig, you can find a local business with a poor website, rebuild it, then send it to them and offer to install it. Brett says "This makes the decision very easy for the client, and you come off way more trustworthy."
App and software development
This is building software tools for businesses or creators: internal tools, SaaS products, AI agents, whatever they need.
You no longer need to know how to code to do this well; Claude Code can build fully functional apps from a plain English description. What you do need is a strong sense of design and user experience.
The business model is naturally recurring because, as Brett notes, "software development is technically never finished, clients always needed updates, improvements, or new features, so it naturally became recurring revenue."
Paid ads
If you can make a business more money, you make more money. That's why paid ads – running campaigns on Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and Google – is such a durable service.
AI has compressed the learning curve dramatically: you can analyze competitor ad libraries, generate ad creatives from a client's website, and even automate the upload process into Meta Ads Manager. "What used to take a photographer, copywriter, designer, and media buyer can now be done with one person with AI."
AI video creation
AI tools have made it possible for one person to produce the kind of brand video that used to require a full production team. The real skill here isn't just knowing the tools, it's storytelling. "It's not just about learning how to use the tools, but how do you actually create something that's engaging, that evokes emotion."
The best clients are tech startups, esports brands, and corporate companies that need constant brand content.
Positioning your offer
Choosing a service is only half the equation. The part most people skip is positioning it clearly: defining exactly who it's for and what result it delivers. Skip that and people won't be persuaded to buy, no matter how good the service is.
Brett's framework for getting this right is the transformation statement:
"I help [who] achieve [result] through [method]."
For example: "I help local car dealerships get more test drives through Instagram ads."
When someone hears your transformation statement, their immediate reaction should be: that's exactly what I need.
The most common mistake is being too broad. "I help businesses grow" sounds fine, but actually means nothing. Which business? How do you help them grow? The more specific your who, the easier it is to find them, speak their language, and close them.
And if you're unsure how to narrow it down, Brett's advice is simple: start with what you already know. Whatever industry, community, or hobby you've spent time in, that's your advantage.
How to set up your business on Whop
Once you know what you're selling and who you're selling it to, you need somewhere to run the business. Whop is free to use, accepts payment from clients all over the world, and has everything you need to manage a service business in one place.
Getting set up takes less than two minutes. Head to whop.com, hit the Discover tab, and select Start a Business. Paste in your transformation statement and Whop's AI will generate a name, logo, banner, and business description for you. Set your price and your first product is live!
From there, you have a few options for how you run things.
You can operate entirely within Whop: clients discover you on the marketplace, pay, and access your service all in one place. You can add apps to build out the full client experience: onboarding checklists, calendar booking, pre-recorded walkthroughs, group chat, and more. Everything exists in one place.
Already have your own website? You can embed a Whop checkout directly on the page.
And if you're doing direct outreach, you can simply generate a checkout link and send it straight to a client – they click, pay, and you're off.
However you choose to set it up, the core is the same: a clean, professional way to get paid and deliver your service without stitching together a dozen different tools.
Brett's advice is to keep it simple at the start: "the biggest mistake people make when starting out is overcomplicating things. The only thing that matters is actually getting clients."
Your AI service business starts here
Whop has paid out over $3.5 billion across the platform. Tens of thousands of people are already running businesses on Whop, from solo freelancers to multi-person agencies.
The opportunity Brett outlines in the video is real, and the barrier to entry has never been lower. Pick one service from the list above, write your transformation statement, and get your business live on Whop today. The whole setup takes less than two minutes.
